Aerators are commonly used to improve turf quality by driving sets of coring tines into the ground to remove soil (often in cylindrical portions referred to as “plugs”). This counteracts soil compaction by creating cavities that permit water and other nutrients to better reach the roots of the remaining grass, and thereby promotes the overall health of the turf.
A traditional prior art aerator is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,244 to Cozine, the contents of which are incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. In Cozine ('244), an engine 24 powers drive wheels 18 for forward movement and also simultaneously powers a crankshaft 96 to rotate in the same direction as the wheels. The crankshaft in turn (through cranks 98 and arms 100) causes coring tines 30 to enter the ground while pointing toward the rear wheels and then exit the ground while pointing toward the front wheels, such that the tines become angled more toward the front of the machine as they are withdrawn from the ground. Cranks 138, 140 are coupled to the respective arms 100 by links 142, 144 and engage stops 148 with every insert-withdraw cycle of a respective tine. Cozine ('244) discloses that such stop members are an important feature that accurately positions the tines and prevents turf damage.
Embodiments of the current invention advance the aerator art.